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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — in control
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — all right
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. last — final
  15. track — a path
  16. last — finally
  17. charge — a price
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. fine — high quality
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — to go on
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com